This history of the U.S. women's military corps surveys the changing role of women in warfare and profiles women who fought for the right to serve in our armed forces, from the 57 army nurses who waded ashore on D-Day to female soldiers of the 21st century who still face harassment and even murder at the hands of their fellow soldiers.

"Foreign enemies are less challenging than domestic ones in this earnest history of women's struggle for entry into and acceptance within the armed forces. Ex-army psychologist [Evelyn] Monahan and ex-navy nurse [Rosemary] Neidel-Greenlee argue that while America has increasingly relied on women to perform crucial military tasks, sometimes under fire, reactionaries in the military and Congress, citing feminine delicacy and other hoary sexist myths, have resisted according them the status, equal pay, opportunities, and respect they deserve."—Publishers Weekly